thanks to my friend katy, who helped me write the confrontation with business!

"Can you do it from here?" Wyldstyle asked.

"Of course I can do it from here," Business snapped, sitting down behind his desk. Wyldstyle hovered over his shoulder, watching as he powered up his computer. Good Cop had gone to shower, and Bad Cop had trailed along, unwilling to be separated from his counterpart again.

"I thought they were going to be scrapped," Business muttered as he began to type.

"We hadn't gotten around to it yet," Wyldstyle replied, leaning forward a bit to watch what he was doing.

"Well, you're lucky that- ugh!" He swatted at her. "Out of my space, please!"

She stepped aside a little, rolling her eyes. "How long is this going to take?"

"Starting them up? Give me maybe ten minutes. I need to reprogram them a little. And it'll probably be another ten before they get here." He ran a hand through his hair as he waited for a long document to load. Complex code rolled down the screen.

"Jeez," Wyldstyle said, leaning in again unconsciously. "You can read all that?"

Business pushed her away again. "Duh," he replied. "I designed and programmed them myself."

"Wow," Wyldstyle said, putting her hands on her hips. "I had no idea. That's… pretty impressive."

"Can I get that in writing?" Business asked dryly.

She glared at him. "No."

In the bathroom, Good Cop pulled on the T-shirt that Business had given him. It was tight on him, and he tugged at the neck of it in an attempt to loosen it a little. He'd had to put his bloody sweatpants back on because Business didn't have anything that would fit him. Bad Cop was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, watching him. His sunglasses were folded on the counter beside him.

Good Cop glanced over at him. "Are you okay?"

Bad Cop snorted. "Am I okay? I'm more worried about you."

Good Cop rubbed the back of his head. His brother had helped him get proper bandages on his hands. "I'm fine. I'd like to get back to our place and get some proper gear on."

Bad Cop propped his chin in his hand. "That'll be our next stop."

"Thank god." Good Cop kept looking at his counterpart. It was strange to see such familiar expressions on Benny's boyish face. He reached out and wrapped his hand around Bad Cop's wrist, pulling it gently towards himself. Bad Cop let him, and twined his fingers through Good's.

"I miss you," Good Cop said, tightening his grip a little.

"I know," Bad Cop replied, his gaze dropping. "I'm sorry I was such a bloody eedjit. If I hadn't-"

"No," Good Cop interrupted. "You were just trying to protect me."

"And I did a bang-up job of it," Bad Cop said. His jaw clenched.

Good Cop squeezed his eyes shut. "We can't focus on that right now. We have a city to save."

Bad Cop swallowed hard. "You're right," he managed. "Let's go see how Wyldstyle and Business are doing."

Wyldstyle and Business were doing surprisingly well, with minimum bickering. She'd developed a bit of grudging respect for him as she watched him work, from one craftsperson to another. Business might have been using the Think Tank to get Master Builders to work for him, but he was the one who had designed it. She thought he'd gotten another Master Builder to do it for him, but in reality he'd done it all himself – the Think Tank, the robots, the micromanagers. They were all his.

"Why did you even need the Think Tank?" she asked.

"Well, I can't do everything myself, much as I'd like to," Business replied as he finished up. "And I needed the Master Builder's creativity. I'm not…" The words stuck in his mouth for a moment, and he looked like he'd bit into a lemon. "I'm not very good at that sort of thing."

Wyldstyle smirked, hopping up to sit on the desk next to where Unikitty was curled up. "Sounds like you're improving in the humility department."

Business gave her a baleful look. "Off the desk."

She crossed one leg over the other.

Grumbling, Business hit a few more keys and leaned back. "They should be on their way."

"Ten minutes, you said?"

"Hopefully less."

Wyldstyle made a contemplative sound, then looked up as Bad Cop and Good Cop walked into the room. "How're you guys doing?" she asked.

Good Cop shrugged, seemingly reluctant to say anything. Bad Cop looked a little wobbly on Benny's legs.

"We've got to wait a bit," Wyldstyle said. "I know you guys want to get back to your apartment as soon as possible, but we should hole up here until backup arrives."

Good Cop nodded.

"That's fine," Bad Cop said. He looked around, spotted a plush armchair, and sank into it.

Business glanced nervously over his shoulder at them, then looked to Wyldstyle. She arched one eyebrow questioningly.

He pressed a hand to his forehead, then turned around. "Good Cop," he said.

Good Cop's fists clenched, and he looked down.

"Please hear me out," Business said.

Good Cop gritted his teeth. "What is there to hear?"

"A sincere apology," Business replied, standing up.

"Oh, that's nice," Good Cop scoffed, finally meeting Business' eyes. His gaze was dark and murky. "That'll fix everything, will it?"

"Of course not," Business said, resisting the urge to look away. "But it's a start, isn't it?"

"A start to what?" Good Cop snapped.

"To making amends!" Business said, raising his hands in frustration. "I'm trying to be a better person, Good Cop! And I can't do that without you and Bad Cop."

Good Cop looked over at where Bad Cop was sitting. His face was unreadable behind the aviators. Good Cop turned his attention back to Business. "No," he said. "I can't forgive you."

"You don't need to forgive me," Business said desperately, putting a hand to his chest. "Just please listen to what I have to say."

"No," Good Cop repeated, at the same time Bad Cop said, "Alright."

Good Cop shot Bad Cop a look. "What?"

Bad Cop pushed himself out of the chair. "We're making a new life for ourselves here, but that means letting go of our past. I'm surprised I'm the one who has to tell you this. Let's just hear him out. Then we can decide."

Good Cop's jaw worked. "It doesn't matter what he says."

Business took a step forward. "Why not?"

Good Cop whirled on him. "Because I know!" he shouted. "I can see it in your face! You say you're sorry, and I believe you. But I can't let this go!"

Business, taken aback, opened his mouth to speak, but Good Cop cut him off. "No," he said. "Stop apologizing. It doesn't matter anymore. Look at our face. That's your handiwork. You've left so many scars on us. All the apologies in the world won't wipe that slate clean."

"I'm not trying to wipe it clean!" Business insisted. "I'm not trying to start over. I'm trying to improve myself, to pick up the pieces. And I'm so sorry for what I did to you-"

"I said stop!" Good Cop screamed. "It's not about what you did to me!"

Stunned silence fell over the room. Good Cop stood in the center of attention, breathing heavily, his face flushed red with fury.

"Wh… What?" Business croaked.

"It's about what you did to my brother," Good Cop said, jabbing his finger in Bad Cop's direction, towering over Business. "It's about what…" His throat closed up. "What I did to him."

Bad Cop's hand was suddenly on Good Cop's arm. "What do you mean?" he asked softly.

Good Cop couldn't look at him. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on Business. "You broke me," he said. "But I wasn't… I wasn't strong enough to stop you." He was beginning to shake. "All our life, Bad's been the one who protected me. And when he needed me most, I couldn't protect him. I couldn't-"

Bad Cop's grip tightened, and finally Good Cop looked down at him. "Don't be ridiculous," Bad Cop said hoarsely. "What kind wobbly logic is that?"

"You don't get it, Mal," Good Cop replied, feeling his legs weakening under him. "When the wall came down, I saw it all. Your memories from when I'd been gone. You just… you just gave up."

"That was my fault, you silly git," Bad Cop said, taking his sunglasses off with his free hand so he could look Good Cop in the eye.

"I wasn't there for you," Good Cop said. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, head bowed. "And I should have been. But I wasn't strong enough."

Bad Cop plopped down next to him, crossing his arms. "You're the one who doesn't bloody get it," he snapped. "Not strong enough? What a crock of shit. Look at yourself."

Good Cop blinked at him, then looked down at his bandaged hands clenched on the floor, his bloodstained sweatpants. After a moment, he said, "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"You're supposed to be seeing the strongest person I've ever known," Bad Cop said with a glare. "You said it yourself – I gave up when I lost you. But you didn't. You put up a real fight. And you were strong enough to come back."

Good Cop dragged a hand down his face and gave Bad Cop a weak, watery smile. "I guess you're right."

"Darn straight, I'm right," Bad Cop huffed. "Now get up and let the man speak."

Slowly, Good Cop pushed himself to his feet and looked at Business, who had gone totally pale. A little ways behind him, Wyldstyle had become very focused on petting Unikitty's soft fur.

Business swallowed. "You don't need to forgive me," he said, his gaze dropping. "I'm not sure if I even want you to. I just want you two to accept my apology."

Good Cop looked down at Bad Cop, who gave a small nod. "Yes," Good Cop said. "We accept."

All the tension drained from Business' body, and his eyes slid shut with a small sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Bad Cop made to stand up, but his legs wobbled and he fell back.

"You okay?" Good Cop asked, extending his hand down to help his counterpart.

Bad Cop took his hand, and Good Cop hauled him to his feet. "Not sure," Bad Cop replied. "I feel a little odd."

Almost as if on cue, his knees buckled under him, and only Good Cop's grip on him kept him from falling to the floor again. Bad Cop leaned against his counterpart for support. "I think it's getting harder for me to control Benny's body," Bad Cop said weakly.

Wyldstyle was next to him in a flash, pushing his hair back from his forehead and searching his eyes. "You need to switch out," she said after a moment. "You don't belong in this body. It's starting to reject you."